So a very long gap since my last update - not least because there has been a lot of life - processing coming out as trans, family life, work, other projects etc etc. However the web is changing and I’m keen to start focusing on my own platform a little more. Meantime you can also find me on Mastodon
Anyway back to matters in hand. If you’ve been following me on Mastodon or Instagram then you’ll have seen that every day over the last couple of weeks I’ve been posting short films with very short poems in. I picked up Lemn Sissay’s book “Let the Light Pour In” and his writing a short poem every day resonated with me. I used to write a lot in my 20’s but have gotten out of practice - I’ve only written a handful or so over the last year - but it is something I’d like to get back into doing. & so the poetry project was born.
I wanted to do a little more than just write a short poem - the short film is a) a bit more in keeping with the fact I describe myself as a multimedia artist and b) possibly going to reach a slightly wider audience than just a poem (but let’s face it I don’t think I’m heading for megastardom with this project :-) ). It’s also forcing me to improve skills I know need work.
& so - I set off making a short film each day - less than 1 minute , because that’s the limit on instagram - not quite worked out what Mastodon gets up to with video but I’ve had no problem posting them (no one follows links on any social media so they need to be “in post”). I’ve not worried about being “obvious” but more just getting up to speed and finding a sustainable workflow. I’ve rapidly improved skills - I now understand what I’m doing with colour grading in DaVinci for example - not just turning controls until it looks ok!. What I really like is that it is giving a focus to film making. It’s also nice writing small bits of music - making good use of my skills and pushing me creatively
So what’s next? Well I’m going to ease off on the one a day part - it’s hard work but I believe I can make is sustainable however I feel like spending a little more time on each one is going to be beneficial, even after two weeks they risk being path of least resistance rather than pushing my creativity (which is the goal). I’m also thinking it would be nice to tackle some longer pieces (probably not in vertical format video either)
Most importantly - I’m getting a lot out of this - it’s pushing me creatively, technically and I’m having a lot of fun doing it. And it sure beats raging about the state of the world on my morning walk!